I learned that the "best of the best" tend to share the following eight core beliefs. 1. Business is an ecosystem, not a battlefield. Average bosses see business as a conflict between companies, departments and groups. They build huge armies of "troops" to order about, demonize competitors as "enemies," and treat customers as "territory" to be conquered. Extraordinary bosses see business as a symbiosis where the most diverse firm is most likely to survive and thrive. 2.

Average bosses consider their company to be a machine with employees as cogs.
6 signs you're too nice of a boss. The worst things about being a manager. (MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY If you ask 10 senior executives if they like their jobs, I bet most would say yes.

That's what I would have said back when that was my job.
Are you called to leadership?
The New Leader's Playbook - Tips for onboarding/on-boarding. Moving into new roles are crucible events of leadership and some of the toughest challenges people face.

Nearly half of new leaders fail in their first 18 months*. Avoid that problem by getting a head start, managing your message, and building your team.
Why Flexible Hours Inspire Performance. "What time do you want me to start work?

" That's the question a new hire recently asked me. She looked a little startled by my reply.
The myth of the visionary CEO. Don't expect CEOs to be visionaries, because that's flat out unnecessary to run a successful company over the long haul.

Picture courtesy of Flickr user butler.corey COMMENTARY Of the 23 secondary schools that produced two or more Nobel Prize laureates, nine are in New York City. The high school I attended in Brooklyn graduated three Nobel Prize winners and dozens of famous scientists, engineers, athletes, musicians, actors and politicians. What went wrong with me is anyone's guess.
4 steps to becoming a great problem solver. COMMENTARY If you've ever heard the expression, "That's why you make the big bucks," then you were probably on the hook to solve a tough problem.

Indeed, the ability to troubleshoot complex issues, fix troubled organizations, beat bigger competitors or successfully manage crises, is highly valued in the corporate world. Just ask Thomas Horton, the American Airlines executive who was named chairman and CEO of parent company AMR on Tuesday, the day it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Horton got the job because of his track record dealing with thorny union and regulatory issues.
3 habits of highly effective leaders. Gary Mogg claims lounging at work in a broken chair led to his injury iStockPhoto Are you a leader?

Whether you're an executive or an entry-level employee, leadership is a truly essential skill that can propel you and your career to bigger, better things. That holds true for both leaders of large teams and self-employed people who are guiding a team of one. I recently spoke to leadership consultant Jennifer Garvey Berger, whose new book, Changing on the Job: Developing Leaders For a Complex World, is already garnering praise from industry executives and academic experts at Microsoft, Fidelity, Harvard University and Boston College.
What Your Boss Needs to Know About Engagement - Teresa Amabile and Steve Kramer - HBS Faculty. By Teresa Amabile and Steve Kramer | 1:00 PM November 16, 2011 On October 28, Gallup posted an article with the sobering headline “Majority of American Workers Not Engaged in Their Jobs.”

There's No Such Thing as Constructive Criticism - Tony Schwartz. By Tony Schwartz | 8:00 AM November 21, 2011 Here’s a question guaranteed to make your stomach lurch: “Would you mind if I gave you some feedback?”

What that actually means is “Would you mind if I gave you some negative feedback, wrapped in the guise of constructive criticism, whether you want it or not?” The problem with criticism is that it challenges our sense of value. Criticism implies judgment and we all recoil from feeling judged. As Daniel Goleman has noted, threats to our esteem in the eyes of others are so potent they can literally feel like threats to our very survival.
4 things a manager should never say. People listen to leaders.

It's one of the qualities that helps define them as leaders -- and their followers as followers. But because of this, leaders need to mind what they are saying, and avoid knee-jerk responses.
9 Snap Judgments Managers Make in Job Interviews. Last Updated Aug 24, 2011 1:17 PM EDT One of my favorite Gladwellian Theories (Malcolm Gladwell is the king of cool theories) is thin-slicing: the ability to find patterns and make decisions based on the combination of a limited set of data and a wealth of experience. Call them hunches, call them snap decisions, but more often than not thin-slice judgments turn out to be accurate. Like where hiring employees is concerned. I've interviewed thousands of potential employees and hired hundreds of them.